Bolt-cutter



(No Model) 0. w; LEVALLEY.

BOLT CUTTER.

No. 308,267. Patented Nov. 18, 1884.

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UNirn Srarns PATENT 'rrrcn.

CHRISTOPHER WV. LEVALLEY, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

BOLT-CUTTER.

SPECEFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 308,267, dated November18, 1884.

Application filed October 18, 1882. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER W. LE- VALLEY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsinBolt-Outters,of which the following is a specification, reference be inghad therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a face or plan view of a cutter embodying my improvements.Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section on the line mm, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is asection on the line y y on Fig. 2. Fig. 4; is a perspective of thesliding knife and the rack detached. Fig. 5 is a perspective of thestationary knife detached. Fig. 6 shows a modified means of connectingthe screwrod with the knife. Fig. 7 is a crosssection on line z 2, Fig.2.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a bolt and rivetcutter with a sliding knife that shall be supported entirely independently of the rack, which, together with the oscillating handles,serves to reciprocate the knife. Theknife is connected to the rack bymeans of a bolt or threaded rod, the knife,

and knife-stock being situated entirely outside of said rack, and thehandles being so related to the rack that the latter can be easily andquickly withdrawn far enough to permit a rotation or partial rotation ofit for the purpose of adjusting the knife without the necessity ofremoving the latter.

Another object is to provide a simpler and more effective means ofconnecting the bolt with the knife than those heretofore used.

Another object is to provide a stationary knife of an improvedcharacter, all of which features will be more fully hereinafter setforth.

In the drawings, A A represent the handles of the cutter, theyconsisting, preferably, of outer wooden parts and inner metallicsockets, a a. These latter are pivoted in the stationary head B B bymeans of bolts or rivets C The head BB consists of a knife-holdingportion, B, and the part B carrying the handles and the rack. C is achamber in the part B, and G is a way or passage formed in the part B.

D represents a slot extending from the top to the bottom of the part Band communicating with the passage 0. At the outer end this slot isexpanded laterally in both direc tions, being at one end somewhat T-shaped. In this T- shaped end a stationary knife, E, is arranged, saidknife consisting of a cuttingedge, e, a laterally-extended head, 6, aflat shank, e", and an expanded foot-piece, 6 By shaping andconstructing the parts of the stationary knife thus, as described, itcan be driven up from the under side to the proper point, the expandedbottom portion, 0 operating to stop it at the proper place and alsoassisting in bracing it, this part 6 and thelaterally-expanded shank andhead e acting to prevent the knife from being twisted or thrust out ofproper relation to the other parts. 6' is a pin passing through the endof the part B and through an aperture, 0, of the knife to lock it inposition.

F represents the sliding knife. It is formed with a beveled or inclinededge, f, and is considerably wider at the bottom than at the top, asshown in Fig. 7.

H represents the rack. It is situated in the chamber 0 in the part B ofthe head and pro vided with two teeth, H, on each side, with which teethengage the teeth I on the handlesookets a a. This rack is provided witha central threaded aperture, through which passes the rod or bolt G,which latter extends considerably inside of the rack and passes a shortdistance into the knife, the knife having no other connection with therack. The bolt G, in the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 4, is

. fastened rigidly in the knife by means of a pin or key, f passingthrough the knifeshank and engaging with a slot or groove 011 the sideof the rod G. The teeth I are so disposed relatively to the teeth H andthe rack thatwhen the handles are opened, as shown in dotted lines, Fig.3, the teeth I are entirely out of engagement with the rack, and the lat(the latter having shoulders or stops, as will be seen in Fig. 3, tolimit the forward movement of the handles) those teeth of each socketwhich engage with the rack to drive it forward are turned outward farenough to be entirely outside of the line of the outer ends of theopposing rack-teeth, and therefore the disengagement of the rack can bereadily effected.

I am aware that use has heretofore been made of a head, a sliding knife,atoothed rack connected with the knife by means of a threaded shank orbolt, and toothed handlesockets, the teeth on the sockets and the teethon the rack being so related that after the handlesockets have beenplaced in position and their points inserted the teeth in said socketswhich effect the forward driving of the rack can be thrown out ofengagement with the rack and the rack and knife removed, the adjustmentof the knife being attained by means of the screw, but without turningthe rack relatively to the knife; and I do not claim such devices as myinvention. After the adjustment the parts can be again joined bythrowing the handles back into the position shown in full lines. Theparts can be similarly disengaged to permit the entire withdrawal of theknife, though this will not be absolutely essential in adj ustin g.

Heretofore in cutters of this class the knifestoek has been more or lessrigidly connected with the rack, so that the latter could not berevolvedupon the adjusting-screw independently of the knife. Again, the methodof constructing has been much more expensive, as the knife-stock had tohave peculiarly-formed apertures therein,requiring considerable laborand pains in coistructing them, whereas in mine it is merely necessaryto form the central aperture to receive the projecting end of the boltand a small transverse aperture to re ceive the pin:

If desired, two methods of adj ustment may be provided by forming anannular slot or groove entirely around the bolt in the plane of thepinf, as shown in Fig. 6.

Vhen thus constructed, the bolt can be turned by means of awrench,orwhen a wrench is not at hand the rack can be readily withdrawn in themanner previously described, after which the rack can be turned upon thebolt.

Under many circumstances the only adj ustment required can be effectedby turning the cogged rack upon the threaded bolt or rod, because therod should be fitted to its socket in the lower end of the knife sotightly that it will be held by frictional contact to permit the rack tobe rotated upon it; but of course no adj ustment can be made by simplyturning the rack, except such as results from making a half-revolutionthereof, and if such adjustment be not sufficiently accurate resort maybe had to a wrench, by means of which the sliding knife may be heldaccurately relatively to the stationary knife E. However, some of thefeatures of the cutter mayibe retained, though the bolt be held in placein the knife-stock in other ways.

What I claim is 1. In 'abolt eutter, thecombination of the head orsupport having a central longitudinal passage-way, the knife situated insaid passageway, the screwrod extending baekwardly from the knife, therack or toothed block H, having a central threaded aperture engagingwith the threaded rod carried by the knife and adapted, substantially asset forth, to be rotated around said rod independently of the otherparts, and the toothed handle-sockets which engage with the rack orblock, the teeth on the socket and the teeth on the block being related,substantiallyas described, to permit the handles to be thrown forwardand disengaged from the rack, as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a bolt-cutter, the combination of the head B B, having alongitudinal passage-way, the slidingknife mounted therein, the threadedrod attached at one end to theknife and capable of independent rotationrelative to the knife, the cogged rack on the threaded rod, and thetoothed handle-sockets, the teeth on the sockets and the teeth on therack being related, substantially as described, whereby the handles canbe disengaged from the rack and the rod and the rack can be rotatedindependently of each other and of the knife, substantial] y as setforth.

In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHRISTOPHER W. LEVALLEY. \Vitn esses:

\VM. WVYED, D. G. S. KNowLns.

